Play for Success: How Fun Increases Productivity

Are you helping employees play for success? Employees that are happy and healthy are more productive. Music, quality health benefits and an open door policy are all factors that help keep employees happy. However, if you’re still unclear about ways you can help keep your employees happy and let them Play for Success, consider the next few options for your company:

Make Your Next Project A Fun Activity

Have a large project coming up? Looking for ways to motivate your staff? Then take the next large project for your team and make it a fun activity for everyone. You can turn it into a competition, challenge your staff to come up with creative solutions, or simply ask your team for suggestion on how to make this new project an enjoyable experience.

 

Encourage A Relaxed Environment

Many employers focus on seeing people looking busy versus actually being busy. Instead of insisting that employees be working all the time, try to encourage an environment where downtime is acceptable. Your employees will be rested and willing to be more productive.

Reward Productivity

Many employers fall into the bad habit of rewarding the most productive employees with more work and less praise. Break this cycle, and reward your most valued employees with downtime, movie tickets, or something they’d enjoy. They’ll be happy for the recognition and be willing to work more in the future.

Correct Bad Habits

Many employers are hesitant to encourage a playful environment for fear of encouraging bad habits, but the truth is your most loyal employees will appreciate it. Those who abuse their privileges however, are the ones who need the most coaching. Don’t shy away from giving your team clear expectations, and addressing it when expectations are not met.

You, your company and your employees deserve a workplace that is fun, productive, and welcoming. With a few simple steps, it can be done in a S.N.A.P.!

How Women In Leadership Thrive

How women in leadership thrive is easy to understand.  The beginning of the series Mad Men gives viewers a dramatic, yet accurate, picture of what it was like to be a woman in the workplace during the 1960’s. Reduced to certain job roles, the women of this show still had to do their jobs in the midst of a hypersexualized, condescending, male-chauvinist environment, drenched in patriarchy. As the series evolves, so does the time setting, so does society, and so do the women.

 

Despite the male attitudes toward female emotions and attributes on the show, viewers get to see the female characters use these attributes and emotions as empowerment, live out this empowerment, and move up the corporate ladder. It’s a fascinating way to look at how women in leadership positions have changed throughout the years.

One of the main stigmas against women in leadership has to do with the idea that women are emotionally incapable of leading. Since emotions cloud judgment, being emotional is detrimental to sound decision-making. Today, however, women are seen in every leadership position imaginable: From CEO’s, female keynote speakers, and entrepreneurs, to heads of households, best-selling authors, and government leaders. The idea of women in leadership is no longer taboo. It is something that is normal, celebrated, and embraced. Although men and women have their respective differences, their abilities to lead are equal. When you look at women such as Sheryl Sandberg, Oprah Winfrey, Marissa Mayer, and Indra Nooyi, it’s safe to say that women are absolutely emotionally capable of leading. In fact, the ability of women to tap into powerful emotions – an emotional intelligence – is a way for them create a vision and inspire others to action. A female leadership speaker can address your group, showing you how this is done. For now, here are a couple of ways women in leadership use emotion to their advantage:

Inspiration – Inspiration is defined as, “The process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something.” The ability to tap into the emotions of those you lead, and channel that energy toward a positive goal, is unique and special. Energy is contagious, and those in leadership positions have to not only be able to tap into positive energy for themselves, but also convey and instill that energy, inspiring action in those they lead. A high energy [female] speaker will be able to address, and inspire, your group to tap into this energy.

Passion – When considering goals – whether personal, company, or organizational goals – it’s important to have passion. Passion is the desire-fueled essence that cultivates focus for our goals. Adapting a healthier lifestyle. Implementing that new system. Starting a new business venture. None of these goals are carried out, with any semblance of excellence, without caring about the end result. Passion is this “caring” that carries us through the process to the end result, despite the circumstances. A motivational leadership speaker will show your group how passion helps shape vision toward accomplishing goals.

Leadership is the use of influence to gain the support of others in the collective effort of accomplishing a goal. A good leader is not only pragmatic and able to control emotions that would cloud judgment, but is also able to tap into positive emotions, when necessary, that serve the greater good of the goal. Women often tap into powerful emotions such as inspiration and passion to create a vision and inspire others to action. Contact me today to address your group on how to use emotions to your advantage!

3 Questions for Transformational and Authentic Leadership

We’ve all heard about great leaders like Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Abraham Lincoln and Nelson Mandela. We might admire these people but we don’t feel as though we’re functioning at the same level. So we don’t try to learn from these examples of authentic & transformational leadership. However, as a leadership speaker, I see that anyone can make a decision to incorporate the lessons learned from great leaders into their own lives. Ask yourself these 3 questions to increase your transformational and authentic leadership skills:

Who do you admire?
First, figure out who your idols are. For some, they may be the above-mentioned leaders in non-violent resistance, like Gandhi and Mandela. Others might admire people who have taken the lead in specific issues, like women’s rights. Even writers like Dickens took a stand when it came to the injustices prevalent in their societies. So make a list of the people you admire and the qualities they have in common.

Why do you admire them?
Leadership works differently for different people. The one thing that all leaders have in common is that they’re able to inspire others and move them to action. They’re able to bring about change of some kind. But they do this in different ways. Some, like Martin Luther King, are leadership speakers while others, like Gandhi, allow their actions to speak for themselves. Dickens was a best selling author. It’s a good idea to figure out what exactly you admire about certain leaders because it’s quite likely that those are the qualities you possess and should encourage within yourself.

How can you develop the same qualities?
We all know how learning takes place—through a mixture of rewards and punishments. But scientific research has shown that rewards are far more effective than punishments. So if you want to encourage yourself to develop the same qualities as your role models, you need to keep rewarding yourself for the smallest signs of progress that become visible. For example, if you want to develop the quality of speaking well in front of groups of people, reward yourself every time you are able to do this, even in front of a small group. Your ultimate aim might be to speak in front of hundreds but if you’re able to speak well at a presentation in front of ten, treat yourself to a cappuccino (or a healthier treat, if you prefer) afterwards. If a presentation goes particularly well, celebrate your victory by taking your team or your loved ones out to dinner. The more you reward yourself, the more likely you are to repeat those behaviors in the long run.

It takes commitment, persistence and discipline to become an authentic and transformational leader. The most important part of the process is to be aware of your beliefs, behaviors and blind-spots. But the world needs more leaders like you.  So S.N.A.P. out of it!  Let your talent and abilities shape the future of your success and those on your team in a S.N.A.P.

The Importance of Influential Leadership

What’s the importance of influential leadership?  Is there a picture that you associate with influential leadership? Maybe it’s the keynote speaker that seems to have it all together or the woman in the boardroom that is calling all the shots.

These people may be leaders but there is so much more to influential leadership than just giving a speech to a captive audience or commanding the attention of your subordinates in a meeting. Here are just a few qualities of an influential leader but you can also be influential right where you are!

What makes an Influential Leader?

Taking a look back over time, we can find many influential leaders. These individuals have left long-lasting marks on society. Time Magazine released an article titled, Who’s Biggest? The 100 Most Significant Figures in History. In this article they described the qualities that they looked for when ranking these individuals.

Significance is related to fame but measures something different…Historically significant figures leave statistical evidence of their presence behind…

This list includes a variety of people including Jesus, Joan of Arc and even Elvis Presley and shows us that influence goes beyond giving speeches to inspiring others by your life.

You Can Inspire Others

Every influential leader has a story which includes a moment or a person that pushed them in the right direction. You are also a “game changer” for someone. Remember that! Think back to the individuals that may have influenced your life. This can be historical figures or people who you have known personally. Those who have influenced you personally most likely had a trusted relationship with you or had a rapport that caused you to trust his or her judgement. The truth is, you can be as influential as those listed by Time Magazine or those who have influenced you personally. Someone around you needs your knowledge, experience and charisma.  So ”Snap Out of It!” and change someone’s life by telling your story.

Find Passion and Purpose

Passion and Purpose: Finding them both is the vehicle to a life abounding with success and fulfillment. It’s a way to see new achievable possibilities (S.N.A.P.) in business and life.

The key word is finding. Lots of people are still in the process of discovering the purpose and passion for their lives. This process continues to leave many full of doubt, insecurity, and boredom in their professional and social lives. The path, on this journey, can seem murky, with little direction. The destination is seemingly elusive. However, finding purpose and passion isn’t difficult! Below are a few, valuable ways to find purpose and passion for your life.

What do you get lost in the moment doing? – Passion is an intense desire. It’s what you feel genuinely connected to. You feel as if you were born to do it and it gives you purpose and meaning. do you love to do? Purpose and passion go hand-in-hand. Ultimately, you want to discover and walk in your purpose: The reason you believe you are on the earth. Remember purpose is not one thing.  Purpose is like a spokes on a wheel.  For instance my purpose is to make people feel their lives.  I do that through my keynote speaking, my singing, my writing, my videos and everyday social media post. I get totally lost in putting together fun and entertaining marketing videos for my speaking clients. So when you think purpose don’t put yourself in a box, expand your awareness.

What irritates you? – Everyone doesn’t discover their purpose through an awareness of what they love. Sometimes, passion is realized through what you dislike, even strongly dislike! Perhaps you dislike poverty and that passion fuels you to want to empower people financially. You might dislike disorganization, and that fuels you to want to bring structure to people and groups. The very thing that you despise is an opportunity to be the solution.

Talent isn’t always your purpose. – Some people discover their purpose and passion through things where they have a natural talent. Some people, however, have natural talents that they aren’t necessarily passionate about. The owner of McDonald’s is famous for stating that his business is not restaurants, but real estate. Many professional athletes use their talents and abilities to build a financial foundation that allows them to pursue other interests after their playing days are over. If you have talents and abilities that aren’t necessarily your passion, use it as key to open the door to what you are really passionate about. If I ever lost my ability to speak or entertain I would find passion and purpose in becoming a project manager for people moving from one house to the next.  I love to organize and decorate! Many people get totally overwhelmed and frustrated with this process.  But I see it as one big messy puzzle that you can move around and make into a master piece.

Finding purpose and passion can seem like a difficult, lifelong pursuit. I believe it’s because their is confusion around what you think it’s suppose to be.  Passion can be anything.  Once you Snap Out of It and stop letting your “should’s and shouldn’ts” get in the way of what you think passion and purpose is or isn’t, you will find it.  Just start noticing what you love, what you dislike and what talents and abilities you have and your passion and purpose will be revealed to you in a S.N.A.P.! 

Leadership Speaker DeDe Murcer Moffett

DeDe “The S.N.A.P. Out of It! Woman”

 

Find Success by Adapting to Change

Adapting to change in a place usually filled with consistency is difficult, especially when that’s the workplace. Whether it is a change in hours, procedures, or leadership, an unexpected shake-up at the office can leave you dazed and unsure where to start.

According to a Gallup survey, only 31% of the U.S. workforce is actively engaged in the office, meaning others are tuning out and checking out before the work day is even over. One of the biggest causes for employee disengagement today is poor management and communication. If a higher-up implements change without input from its employees or without any understandable reason why, unrest rises.

It is one thing to feel frustrated at having to learn new rule and procedures, and it’s another to not even know why you’re doing it.

Adapting to change quickly requires an awareness of the situation and what to expect going forward. Look inward and ask yourself where you’ve been successful in the past and how you can do the same going forward. Figure out your strengths. Your abilities are not as dependent on your situation as you would believe. Understanding that and taking it to heart can revolutionize your attitude and productivity all the quicker.

Obviously adapting to change is not as easy as checking items off of a to-do list. Often this uncertainty causes unexpected levels of stress. The best thing you can do though is use that anxiety to your advantage. Stress ignites our fight-or-flight system and gets our blood pumping, energizing us. Choose to fight, and this newfound buzz will heighten your senses and productivity.

Of course there is a such a thing as too much stress though. Once it starts to interfere with all areas of your life, you’ll want to do something about it. Those under immense stress often see disruptions in their sleep patterns and appetite as well as their mood at work and at home. But you can S.N.A.P. Out of It!  No matter how motivating tight deadlines and performance reviews are, you don’t need to let them overtake your personal happiness. Try to find a balance and make time in your schedule to focus on yourself.

How To Up Profits In the Workplace

For those employed full-time and who report to a place of work, you spend the major parts of your day at work. That is at least eight hours of meetings, workshops, interacting with colleagues, and actual labor.  How do you up profits in the workplace?

When spending so much of your day at one place, you want to enjoy that time. Personally, there is a sense of fulfillment that comes from being excited to go to work, enjoy the people you work with, and enjoy the job you do.

For employees, this joy is personal. For employers, this joy can be profitable. As important or serious as jobs are, it’s important to balance all of the seriousness of work with fun. Bringing fun to the workplace contributes to less stressed, calmer, positive, more creative, and more productive employees. It is a great way to “S.N.A.P.” out of it and see new achievable possibilities in business and life!

How do you up profits in the workplace? Here are 3 simple and fun ways to increase morale and the money mindset:

Social Events – People love to get together to talk and laugh over food and drinks. Each month, try to have a function where employees get to socialize and know each other as people, not just in their work roles. Go out to lunch or dinner as a group, or to a nice, laid-back establishment for happy hour.

Make Meetings Fun – For some, staff meetings are boring and dreadful. Fun and, of course, food can completely change the energy, direction, and productivity of a meeting. Early meeting? Provide breakfast before getting down to business. Early afternoon meeting? Provide lunch! Fun group games before or at the close of a meeting also help to lighten the mood.

Incorporate Humor – As the saying goes, laughter is a medicine. Humor lightens up the mood of any cold room. Businesses can incorporate humor by having theme-based office dress up days, humor bulletin boards, or a lighthearted, and tasteful, joke included in the daily or weekly e-newsletter.

This is one way I create fun and humor and start a buzz about events my clients have hired me to speak for: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHGv5OUJuos

Bringing fun into the workplace creates a low-stress, creative, productive atmosphere. The term work often has a negative, stress-induced connotation. By realizing that work can be fun, and then creating this type of climate, businesses can boost morale and, potentially, productivity and profits.

DeDe Murcer Moffett Keynote Leadership Speaker

Why We Need More Women In Leadership

When it comes to creating effective leadership teams, studies show that placing women in leadership positions is great for business, great for productivity and great for growth.

The key to creating gender diversity in leadership roles is understanding how to pick great potential leaders that will benefit the team, and your business.

The Language Of Gender

Women are socialized to be different leaders than men. While men are often taught to focus on themselves or results in dollar amounts, women are socialized to look out for the group.

That means that women are incredibly adept at making decisions that are beneficial for the team. They often make decisions that require a little more patience and yield long-term results. They are also great at making business suggestions that help nurture and grow employees.

If given enough agency, women are capable of cultivating effective teams. Instead of a numbers mentality with high turnover, women are capable of developing and investing in individuals to make them better and happier, nurturing loyalty, development, and valued employees for your business.

Creating A Woman-Friendly Environment

In the boardroom, women are more likely to be undervalued as efficient leaders. It’s not enough to place women in leadership positions. They need to be given agency and trust. Their ideas and input have to be considered without bias and recognized.

Allowing women to be great leaders cultivates great leaders in return. Why we need more women in leadership is and easy choice. They are half the population and consumers themselves, and can bring different perspectives to the table. It is the difference between a good business and a great one.

So S.N.A.P. See new achievable possibilities in business and life with women leading the way!

It Sucks Right Before Success

 “One who gains strength by overcoming obstacles, possesses the only strength which can overcome adversity “- Albert Schweitzer[gn_divider top=”0″]


I just returned from speaking at the Ambitious Women’s Conference in Dallas, Texas. The title of my talk, “Who Will You Be If You Succeed?” Posed the question, what is success for you?

Is success the relentless acquisition of stuff and awards? Or is it overcoming the scariest and toughest moments of your life? Only you can define what success is for you. But make no mistake the road to success very often sucks before it feels like success.

At the conference I met three amazing women who shared their stories with me and forever impacted my life. These women have endured situations in life that absolutely suck. But they successfully face each day with courage, faith, hope and perseverance. These women define their own success even though some days really, really, really suck.

Who Will You Be If You Succeed?

1. A Walking Example

The first ambitious woman I met literally stopped me in my tracks. She was the mother of three boys. Two of her sons had already passed away with the debilitating disease of MS. Her third son is living but has also been diagnosed with MS. She said in a quite voice, “I didn’t know I was a carrier of the gene”. I was speechless. What do I know about that level of suffering and the incredible strength that she has to find every single moment of her life? She should be the one on stage talking about “Who You Will Be If You Succeed” because just waking up each day and continuing to move forward with that much sadness and heartache is the very definition of success.

2. A Voice of Fearlessness

Meet Rainey. What a blessing this lady is to all who know her. She intentionally reveals her own struggles so that others may succeed. Rainey had a stroke. She had to learn how to speak and learn to do the simplest of task all over again. The stroke also changed the sound of her voice. She now speaks with an accent. Rainey sounds like she is from another country although she is from right here in the USA. But she uses that voice to speak power into everyone she encounters. Her new voice and cadence gently rocks you like a peaceful rainfall on a warm summer night. Rainey is a super success. Borrowing a phrase that Rainey often uses to describe inspirational women, I say Rainey, YOU are fierce, fabulous and free!

3. A Reminder That Anything is Possible

My third encounter was with a woman named Sunny. An energetic ball of fire that lit up the entire ballroom. Sunny is a mother on welfare who has never experienced a great dinner out, a fabulous haircut, or even one of those $5.00 extra skinny vanilla latte’s that we all think we can’t start our day without.

Sunny has so little and yet she’s excited about the possibilities and the opportunities in her business and life. She lives with hardships that many of us will never have to experience. Yet her attitude about her past, present and future is incredibly grateful and positive. She isn’t waiting until she” makes it” to live life fully alive. Sunny absolutely touched my soul and brightened my day. Thank you Sunny!

The road to success isn’t easy. Sometimes, many times, it sucks. But these women are walking, talking, breathing examples of how to define success on your own terms and live ambitiously and full of life, now.

Always S.N.A.P. See new achievable possibilities in business and life!

Mindfulness: The Key to Creativity & Problem Solving

Starting your car remotely.

3D printing organs that can be used in the human body.

A catchy song that you still remember 20 years later.

iPhone.

Video calls conducted from halfway across the world.

Each of these things is amazing, and daily, the world benefits from incredible things such as these. Although the process of 3D printing may seem complex, it’s nothing more than a creative idea, spurned from a thought, and put into action. In fact, every technological advance, work of art, best-selling novel, breakout product, business solution, or medical breakthrough is the result of – wait for it – a thought!

These creative thoughts, when put into action, solve problems for society every second, of every minute, of every day. To take it even further, it’s why entire industries, which are full of companies, which are full of employees, exist: To solve problems.

The great news is that each of us are fully capable of tapping into these thoughts, releasing creativity that allows us to produce innovative, efficient solutions to everyday problems!

How is this achieved? That, in itself, is a problem. However, the solution is simple: Mindfulness.

At first, one might think of mindfulness as a spiritual or emotional concept. However, it is a very cognitive concept. Jon Kabat-Zinn defines mindfulness as, “Paying attention in a particular, nonjudgmental way, on purpose, and in the present moment.” In other words, it’s thinking about your thinking!

When faced with a daunting task or even a simple challenge, it’s easy to multi-task, become anxious, get distracted, and react habitually. Being mindful allows you to be present in a situation, see things clearer, and tap into creative thoughts that produce solutions. For inventors, it can be the breakthrough to a world-changing invention. For educators, it can be a more effective teaching method. As an entertaining leadership speaker, mindfulness is the key to delivering an exceptional message while engaging the audience. Three, effective ways of being more mindful include:

Awareness – Be aware of what you are thinking and doing. What emotions, sensations, and urges do you notice in an experience or situation? For example, when you are eating a candy bar, pay attention to the thoughts, emotions, urges, and thoughts as you eat the candy bar.

Be in the Experience – After realizing what you are thinking and doing, slow down and accept that it’s there. You may notice that while you are eating the candy bar, you feel anxious. Why do you feel anxious? Let’s say you have a big exam coming up. At this moment, you realize that in stressful situations you tend to eat things that taste good and provide a level of comfort. Accept what you are thinking and feeling without reacting.

Clarity and Creativity – After becoming intentionally aware and present in the experience, you now see things clearer. This is the breakthrough moment where you tap into creativity! Using our candy bar example, you now know that in stressful situations, you have a tendency to react by eating comforting foods. You decide to change this habit by going for a peaceful walk. You have just created a solution!

Mindfulness is a process that allows you to evaluate your approaches to everyday problems, analyze those approaches, and then create solutions to those problems using new approaches. It’s a practice that is applicable in both the simple and complex situations of life. The more mindful you are, the more creative you are. The more creative you are, the more effective you are at solving problems. One creative idea can save a company millions of dollars, allow you to be more creative and innovative at work, provide a more efficient way of healthcare, or provide a new product that makes a consumer’s life easier.